ULVAC, Inc. has announced the EWK-030, a state-of-the-art roll-to-roll deposition system designed for lithium coating applications. Specifically, the system will have a scheduled launch in May 2025.

Ahead of its release, ULVAC will showcase a panel display highlighting the features and applications of this innovative system at Battery Japan (Int’l Rechargeable Battery Expo)¹, to be held from February 19 to 21, 2025.

Suits Wide Range of Fields

In recent years, next-generation batteries have been widely developed to support the global adoption of electric vehicles (EVs). In 2022, ULVAC was selected for the Green Innovation Fund Projects / Next-Generation Storage Battery and Motor Development (JPNP21026) by NEDO (New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization) for the development of Lithium Metal Anode Production Technology.² This product is one of the outcomes of that project and is expected to be utilized in a wide range of fields, including the development and production of next-generation batteries globally.

The EWK-030 uses the thin-film deposition technology developed by ULVAC over many years for packaging and capacitor films to deposit lithium film onto metal foils in a vacuum environment. Thin-film lithium formed by deposition is processed under vacuum conditions, minimizing impurities and oxidation, resulting in a superior film surface compared to lithium foils formed by conventional roll press (rolling) technology in atmospheric conditions. The EWK-030 is also designed to maximize the efficiency of lithium material usage, offering cost and environmental advantages over standard deposition equipment.

ULVAC will focus on technological development as a ‘Field of Potentiality’ for the future³, contributing to the evolution of various applications, including next-generation batteries such as solid-state batteries.

Notes

¹ Battery Japan Exhibition Information

² Selected for the NEDO G.I. Fund Project “Development of Next-generation Storage Batteries and Next-generation Motors”.
NEDO Green Innovation Project Information (Japanese)

³ ULVAC formulated its Vision 2032, envisaging an ideal configuration of the ULVAC Group in 2032 while continuing to be a ‘Field of Potentiality’ for the future. This concept is inspired by the physical potentiality that occurs in a vacuum field: changes in energy and matter. It is also the potentiality of change in the individual, which can lead to the potential to change in the spirit animating society. The ULVAC Group is committed to advancing core vacuum and peripheral technologies and understanding the needs of its customers while addressing social challenges and continuously creating valuable products and technologies.

14 February 2025